Newsline - September 25, 2000

Russian
Media Minister Mikhail Lesin met with Prime Minister
Mikhail Kasyanov on 23 September to discuss the
controversial sale of Media-MOST to Gazprom Media (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 19 September 2000). According to
Interfax, Kasyanov refused to comment after the meeting,
which lasted 40 minutes. Kasyanov had announced the
previous day that he wished to speak with Lesin about the
media minister's "participation in the quarrel between the
two companies." JAC

...AS GUSINSKII SUMMONED TO MOSCOW...

Moscow's chief
bailiff Svetlana Kukushkina announced on 22 September that
her office has completed its seizure of stocks of Media-
MOST companies such as NTV, Ekho Moskvy, Zolotoi Ekran, and
Kinomost, ITAR-TASS reported. The same day, the Prosecutor-
General's Office announced that it is summoning Vladimir
Gusinskii to testify as a witness. One of Gusinskii's
lawyers said they have not yet received such a summons, but
two employees at Media-MOST's legal department have been
called in for interrogation. A Moscow court is scheduled to
open hearings on 18 October in Gazprom-Media's lawsuit
against Media-MOST for overdue debt payments. JAC

...AND GUSINSKII NEWSPAPER CLAIMS KREMLIN HAS SPECIAL MEDIA
UNIT

"Segodnya," which is owned by Media-MOST, reported on
22 September that the Kremlin has formed a special unit to
keep tabs on the independent media and compile compromising
materials on its executives. The team is reportedly managed
by Simon Kordonskii, deputy head of the presidential
administration's analytical department and is overseen by
Vladimir Surkov, deputy head of the presidential
administration. Surkov dismissed the report as "rubbish not
worth commenting on." He added that "I am not in charge of
this department, and the newspaper's assertions on this
score are also a lie." JAC

CHECHEN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR TALKS ON WITHDRAWAL OF RUSSIAN
TROOPS...

In an interview published in "Kommersant-Daily"
on 22 September, Aslan Maskhadov argued that the Russian
army should be withdrawn immediately from Chechnya as all
its attempts over the past 11 months to impose a military
solution to the problem of Chechnya's relations with Moscow
have failed. A former Soviet army general, Maskhadov said
that "the Russian army is a great army.... Everything
possible should be done not to disgrace the Russian army
again." Maskhadov called for negotiations on a Russian
withdrawal to begin as soon as possible. He rejected as
unnecessary the proposal that unnamed prominent Chechen
politicians should mediate between himself and the Russian
leadership, but he added that "any level-headed figure"
within the Russian leadership could perform that task.
Maskhadov claimed that the current war in Chechnya "was
planned to begin approximately six months before the
presidential elections in Russia" and that a pretext for
starting hostilities would have been found even if field
commander Shamil Basaev had not launched his invasion of
Daghestan in August 1999. He said the Chechen forces
currently number 15,000 men. LF

...BUT MOSCOW SAYS 'NO'

Russian presidential aide Sergei
Yastrzhembskii told Interfax on 22 September that
Maskhadov's proposals indicate that he is "still in the
grip of delusions that are dangerous for the Chechen
people." He rejected as an exaggeration Maskhadov's claim
to command 15,000 men, saying the true figure is only a few
hundred. Yastrzhembskii again said Moscow will conduct
talks with Maskhadov only on the conditions for the
latter's surrender. "Discussing political issues with
Maskhadov makes no sense," Interfax quoted him as saying.
Also on 22 September, interim Chechen administration head
Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov similarly denied that the Chechen
fighters number 15,000, Interfax reported. Kadyrov again
said that Maskhadov should formally apologize to the
Chechen people for precipitating the war and leave Chechnya
to join his son in Malaysia. LF

TATARSTAN BRINGS FORWARD PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

A plenary
session of Tatarstan's State Council on 23 September
scheduled presidential elections for 24 December, RFE/RL's
Kazan bureau reported. Parliamentary speaker Farid
Mukhametshin told the session that the law on the
presidential elections passed by parliament the previous
day makes provision for bringing forward or postponing the
poll by up to three months. Incumbent President Mintimer
Shaimiev's five-year term expires in March 2001. Therefore,
Mukhametshin argued, the 24 December date does not
constitute a pre-term election. Mukhametshin had last week
denied media reports that the poll date would be brought
forward from March 2001 to December 2000 (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 22 September 2000). Rashid Akhmetov, who is
editor of the independent newspaper "Zvezda Povolzhya,"
told Tatar Television on 24 September that Shaimiev has
approved the early poll date and considers the ballot to be
a referendum on the success of the policies he has
implemented over the past decade. LF

THIRD RUSSIAN PLANE TOUCHES DOWN IN BAGHDAD...

A Russian
airplane landed in Baghdad on 23 September--the third such
flight in five weeks (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 August.
2000 and 19 September 2000). The Vnukovo Airlines plane was
carrying 5 tons of humanitarian aid, as well as a Russian
delegation led by Central Fuel Company chairman Yurii
Shafranik, lawmakers, a soccer team, and a group of
musicians. Shafranik, who is also head of a Russian-Iraqi
cooperation committee, is expected to meet with Iraqi
Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, several other ministers,
and senior oil officials. According to ITAR-TASS, the 23
September flight had been approved by the UN Sanctions
Committee. On 22 September, a French plane had landed in
the Iraqi capital; on board were reported to be doctors,
athletes, and artists opposed to the sanctions imposed on
Iraq following the invasion of Kuwait in 1990. JC

...AS MINISTER SAYS NO REGULAR FLIGHTS TO IRAQ ANYTIME
SOON

Deputy Transport Minister Pavel Rozhkov told Interfax
on 22 September that the State Civil Aviation Service at
his ministry is not holding, and does not plan to hold,
talks on resuming regular flights between Russia and Iraq.
Aeroflot, which is competing with Vnukovo for the right to
relaunch flights to Baghdad, is currently involved only in
technical discussions about the possibility of such
flights, Rozhkov added. The news agency reported that a 70-
strong Iraqi delegation including civil aviation officials
and representatatives of Iraqi airlines will arrive in
Moscow on 24 September. JC

SCHROEDER TO TELL PUTIN HE CAN COUNT ON GERMANY

In an
interview with "Die Welt am Sonntag" published on 24
September, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said that
during his visit to Moscow scheduled for the next day, he
wants to make clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin
that Moscow can count on Germany for support in
implementing reforms, Reuters reported. Schroeder added
that U.S. President Bill Clinton has told him often that
Berlin must play a "special role in...stabilizing the
reform process in Russia." At the same time, the German
leader stressed that other countries should not fear a
repeat of the Treaty of Rapallo, which was signed by
Germany and the Soviet Union in 1922, causing concern among
their neighbors. He also confirmed that the Schroeder and
Putin families will celebrate Orthodox Christmas together
in Moscow from 5-7 January. JC

RUSSIAN COMMUNISTS SEEK TO AID MILOSEVIC IN SERBIAN BALLOT

Among the 200 or so international observers at the 24
September Yugoslav and Serbian elections were 30 Russians,
most of whom belong to the Communist Party, "The Moscow
Times" reported on 23 September. The Moscow daily cited the
Yugoslav Foreign Ministry as saying that the Russian
delegation included State Duma deputy (independent) Nikolai
Ryzhkov as well as Krasnodar Governor Nikolai Kondratenko.
And it quoted Duma deputy (Agro-Industrial) Vasilii Iver as
saying that the Communist Party was sending observers
because it wants to make sure that the will of the Serbian
people is respected and that "the same countries that
bombed Yugoslavia last year" do not interfere in the
ballot. Similarly, Yugoslav Ambassador to Russia Boris
Milosevic, who is the brother of Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic, told journalists in Moscow on 22
September that the U.S. would be making a "historic
mistake" if it used force against Yugoslavia, with or
without the support of its European allies, in the event of
the incumbent's re-election. JC

BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN MOSCOW

Nadezhda Mihailova
told journalists in Moscow on 22 September that Russian-
Bulgarian relations are "based on trust," and she welcomed
the appointment of Russian Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin
as co-chairman of the Bulgarian-Russian Economic
Commission. Mihailova, who was in Moscow to participate in
the Pan European Forum discussions, said the appointment is
"clear evidence that Russia attaches great importance to
its relations with Bulgaria," ITAR-TASS reported. MS

RUSSIAN-NORWEGIAN DEAL TO RECOVER 'KURSK' BODIES DELAYED

The operation to recover the bodies of the 118-strong crew
of the sunken "Kursk" nuclear submarine may have to be
postponed after Russian officials and a Norwegian diving
company failed to reach an agreement over the contract on
that undertaking. Russia's Rubin engineering company, which
designed the "Kursk," and Norway's Stolt Offshore were
scheduled to have concluded a deal on 22 September. But a
Rubin official told Interfax the same day that the signing
has been postponed until differences between the two
parties can be resolved. He gave no further explanation. JC

GENERALS, CIVILIANS ALSO TO FACE LAYOFFS

The previously
announced reduction in the strength of Russia's armed
forces by some 350,000 over the next three years will
likely be accompanied by a reduction in the number of
generals by about 300, unidentified military sources told
Interfax on 24 September (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 11
September 2000). In addition, the defense minister will
lose one deputy minister, as the total number of deputies
will be reduced from five to four. The number of civilian
personnel employed by the armed forces will also drop by
120,000. JAC

FINANCE MINISTER TELLS LEGISLATORS TO SEEK BUDGET
COMPROMISE LATER

Addressing the State Duma on 22
September, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister
Kudrin told legislators that they can achieve a compromise
on the draft 2001 budget when they consider the document in
its second or third reading. He added that including
"unguaranteed revenues" in the budget might lead to
sequestration of the budget. Speaking about this year's
budget, he said that of the 158 billion rubles ($5.7
billion) in revenues exceeding projected levels, 119
billion rubles were used to pay off or reschedule loans.
The minister also updated legislators on the status of
federal budget expenditures so far. According to Kudrin,
the Defense Ministry has received 59.5 percent of its
allocation for 2000, law enforcement bodies 64.9 percent,
agriculture 46 percent, education 71 percent, health care
47 percent, and culture 50 percent, while financial
assistance to the regions has been paid 70 percent. JAC

ZYUGANOV RE-ELECTED HEAD OF PEOPLE'S PATRIOTIC UNION

Communist Party leader Gennadii Zyuganov was re-elected
chairman of the People's Patriotic Union (NPS) at the
Union's third congress in Moscow on 23 September, ITAR-TASS
reported. About 300 people attended, according to NTV.
Union attendees also voted to confirm the ouster of
Kemerovo Governor Aman Tuleev, who has recently been
particularly outspoken in his criticism of the Communist
Party's leadership (see "RFE/RL Russian Federation Report,"
20 September 2000). Tuleev, Spiritual Heritage head Aleksei
Poberezhkin, and Agrarian Party leader Mikhail Lapshin were
all expelled by the union's coordinating commission earlier
this summer (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 9 June 2000). Several
organizations were admitted into the union, including State
Duma Chairman Gennadii Seleznev's Rossiya. Gennadii Semigin
was elected chairman of the union's Executive Committee.
JAC

ULTRANATIONALIST GROUP EXPELS ITS LEADER

At a closed
plenary session on 22 September, members of Russian
National Unity (RNE) voted to expel their leader, Aleksandr
Barkashov, from the organization, Interfax reported.
According to RNE's deputy chairman, Oleg Kassin, 16 heads
of the largest divisions of RNE took part in the session.
They blamed Barkashov for triggering a crisis within the
organization; 26 regional groupings have left RNE.
According to "Kommersant-Daily" on 23 September, the 16
leaders believe that their party has lost influence and
"ceased to be truly active." JAC

RFE/RL JOURNALIST KILLED IN MOSCOW

Iskander Khatloni, a
Moscow-based correspondent for RFE/RL's Tajik Service, died
in Moscow on 21 September from head wounds after being
attacked in his apartment. Khatloni, 45, had covered issues
such as government corruption and drug trafficking in
Tajikistan and human rights abuses in Chechnya. Khatloni
was also a well-known poet, having published four volumes
of verse. JAC

WHEAT IMPORTS RISE

During the first seven months of this
year, Russia imported 10 percent more wheat than during the
same period last year, Interfax reported on 22 September,
citing the State Statistics Committee. Wheat imports
reached 2,088,400 tons. Eighty-five percent of the imports
came from CIS countries, compared with 22 percent in 1999.
JAC

OFFICIAL DEPLORES DELAY IN RETURN OF INGUSHETIAN DISPLACED
PERSONS

A deputy chairman of Ingushetia's Committee on
Refugees and Displaced told the republic's television
station that only 10 percent of the Ingush forced to flee
North Ossetia's Prigorodnyi Raion in the clashes of
November 1992 have returned to their homes there, Glasnost-
North Caucasus reported on 24 September. In 1996, Human
Rights Watch estimated the number of Ingush who fled
Prigorodnyi Raion in 1992 at between 34,000 and 64,000.
Ingush officials said in February of this year that 9,200
Ingush displaced persons have been repatriated to the
region so far and more than 19,000 are still waiting to
return. LF

DAGHESTAN ASKS MOSCOW FOR RIGHT TO DECLARE STATE OF
EMERGENCY

Daghestan's parliament on 22 September appealed
to the Russian State Duma to incorporate into the draft law
on the state of emergency, currently under discussion, an
article empowering individual republics of the Russian
Federation to declare a state of emergency on their
territory, Glasnost-North Caucasus reported. LF

ALBRIGHT SEES IVANOV ON SCOOTER BUILT FOR TWO?

Russian
Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov is reported to be "thrilled"
over the scooter and helmet that U.S. Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright gave him for his birthday during their
meeting in New York last week. Reuters on 22 September
quoted an unidentified diplomatic source in Washington as
saying that Ivanov quipped about "riding around the Foreign
Ministry." Pointing to a troika ride they undertook outside
Moscow earlier this year, the news agency notes that the
two leaders appear to enjoy "amiable" personal relations,
despite at times stark differences over such foreign-policy
issues as Russia's campaign in Chechnya and NATO's bombing
of Yugoslavia. JAC

ARMENIAN CLERIC CALLS FOR DIALOGUE WITH TURKEY

Patriarch
Mesrop II of Istanbul expressed concern on 22 September
that the endorsement the previous day by a sub-committee of
the U.S. House of Representatives of a bill that
characterizes the 1915 murder of an estimated 1.5 million
Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as genocide could negatively
impact on Armenian-Turkish relations, RFE/RL's Yerevan
bureau reported. The involvement of parliaments of third
countries is "not pleasing" and "no substitute" for a
dialogue between Armenia and Turkey on the implications and
aftermath of those killings, the patriarch said in a
statement. Turkish Minister Bulent Ecevit on 22 September
characterized the vote as a "sad and ugly event"
precipitated by the acts of "irresponsible politicians."
Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer urged the Clinton
administration to make more efforts to block the bill's
passage. Azerbaijan opposition politicians Ilyas Ismailov
and Isa Gambar have both condemned the bill, Turan reported
on 23 September. LF

CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY DELEGATION VISITS ARMENIA

A
Chinese Communist Party delegation headed by foreign
relations division head Xiai U met in Yerevan on 22
September with Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markarian
to discuss bilateral economic cooperation, RFE/RL's Yerevan
bureau reported. Particular attention was paid to the
planned launch of a Chinese synthetic rubber factory that
will draw on the expertise of the Armenian chemical plant
Nairit, the largest producer of synthetic rubber in the
USSR. The two sides also discussed possible Chinese
involvement in the construction of the planned gas pipeline
from Iran to Armenia. Both projects are to be discussed in
greater detail when Markarian visits Beijing later this
year. LF

NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL POSTPONES VISITS TO ARMENIA,
AZERBAIJAN

Armenian officials said in Yerevan on 22
September that Lord Robertson has postponed indefinitely a
visit to Armenia scheduled for 28-29 September, RFE/RL's
Yerevan bureau reported. The reason cited for that decision
was the need for Robertson to remain in Brussels for the
duration of the Yugoslav presidential elections. But
Robertson is scheduled to arrive in Tbilisi on 25 September
to attend a conference there, although his planned visit to
Baku on 26-27 September has also been postponed, Turan
reported on 22 September. Azerbaijani presidential
administration official Novruz Mamedov denied that
Robertson had cancelled his visit to Azerbaijan because
President Heidar Aliyev is currently abroad. LF

Azerbaijan prosecutor Halid
Tahmazov on 22 September called for a life sentence for
Mubariz Aliev, leader of the Jeyshullah (Allah's Army)
organization, and for prison terms ranging from four to 15
years for other members of that organization, Interfax and
Turan reported. Thirteen Jeyshullah members went on trial
last month on charges of murder and committing terrorist
acts (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 August 2000). LF

GEORGIAN PRESIDENT HINTS AT CONCESSIONS TO RUSSIA OVER
MILITARY BASE

In his traditional Monday radio address on
25 September, Eduard Shevardnadze said Tbilisi is ready to
negotiate with Moscow on designating the Russian military
base at Gudauta a facility for use by the CIS peacekeeping
forces deployed in Abkhazia, Caucasus Press reported. Under
an agreement signed on the sidelines of the OSCE Istanbul
summit last November, Moscow undertook to withdraw its
equipment and forces from Gudauta by 1 July 2001. But at
talks in June on the timetable for the withdrawal of
Russian troops from all four Russian bases in Georgia,
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov proposed that
the Gudauta base be handed over to the CIS peacekeeping
force (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 26 June 2000). That force is
composed entirely of Russian troops. A Georgian Foreign
Ministry spokesman said in July that Tbilisi would not
agree to Klebanov's proposal (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17
July 2000). LF

AZERBAIJAN REJECTS OSCE CRITICISM OF ELECTION REGISTRATION

Azerbaijan's Central Electoral Commission on 23 September
dismissed a statement by the OSCE's Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights expressing "extreme concern"
that seven political parties have been barred from
contesting the 5 November parliamentary poll under the
proportional system, AP reported. In each case, the
commission claimed that the party had submitted fewer than
the required minimum 50,000 valid signatures in its support
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 and 22 September 2000).
Commission member Gusein Pashaev said that the OSCE
statement was based on "non-objective, unconfirmed
information distributed by opposition parties." LF

TURKISH INTERIOR MINISTER VISITS GEORGIA

Sadetin Tantan
and his Georgian counterpart, Kakha Targamadze, signed an
agreement in Tbilisi on 22 September on cooperation in
combating organized crime, smuggling, and drug-trafficking,
Caucasus Press reported. Targamadze endorsed Tantan's
proposal to convene a meeting of interior ministers from
South Caucasus and Central Asian states to discuss drafting
a common strategy in the fight against organized crime.
Tantan also met with Georgian President Shevardnadze to
discuss regional security and security guarantees for
Turkish investments in Georgia. Tantan told journalists
that Turkey will provide Georgia with aid to counter the
damage inflicted by this summer's severe drought. LF

A spokesman for the Party for the
Liberation of Abkhazia, which was formed in 1999 by Tamaz
Nadareishvili, chairman of the Tbilisi-based Abkhaz
parliament in exile, said in Tbilisi on 22 September that
the party will stage mass protests if the Georgian
leadership does not begin the repatriation of Georgian
displaced persons to Abkhazia by 15 December, Caucasus
Press reported. He accused the Georgian government of
failing to take any concrete steps to bring the breakaway
Republic of Abkhazia back under its control. On 20
September, the Union of Displaced Persons had similarly
called on the Georgian leadership to expedite a settlement
of the Abkhaz conflict (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 September
2000). LF

Foreign Ministry spokesman Avtandil
Napetvaridze on 22 September rejected Russian Foreign
Minister Igor Ivanov's allegation the previous day at the
UN General Assembly in New York that rather than embark on
direct talks with the Abkhaz leadership, Tbilisi is relying
on international organizations to mediate a solution to the
Abkhaz conflict, Caucasus Press reported. A meeting between
President Shevardnadze and Abkhaz President Vladislav
Ardzinba has been under discussion for almost two years,
but Shevardnadze has repeatedly said there is no point in
his meeting with Ardzinba, except to sign documents
finalizing the repatriation process and on restoring the
Abkhaz economy. LF

REGISTRATION OF KYRGYZ PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ENDS

The
Central Electoral Commission formally registered two
further presidential candidates on 22 September, one day
before the registration deadline expired, RFE/RL's Bishkek
bureau reported. The two are human rights activist
Tursunbek Akunov and parliamentary deputy Tursunbai Bakir
Uulu. The four remaining candidates in the 29 October poll
are incumbent President Askar Akaev, Social-Democratic
Party chairman Almaz Atembaev, People's Party leader Melis
Eshimkanov, and Omurbek Tekebaev, leader of the Ata-Meken
party and deputy speaker of the lower parliamentary
chamber. LF

RUSSIAN BORDER GUARDS CLOSE CHECK-POINT ON TAJIK-AFGHAN
BORDER

The Nizhnii Pyandzh border crossing between
Afghanistan and Tajikistan was closed "temporarily" on 24
September after Taliban forces made further territorial
gains in northern Afghanistan, taking the towns of Hazarbag
and Hojagar, the capital of Tahor province, Interfax
reported. Major-General Sergei Zhilkin, who commands the
Russian Border Guard force deployed on the Afghan-Tajik
frontier, told journalists in Dushanbe on 23 September that
no large groups of refugees have yet attempted to cross
from Afghanistan into Tajikistan to escape the fighting.
Speaking to Western journalists in Dushanbe on 21
September, Tajikistan's Foreign Minister Talbak Nazarov
stressed the threat posed to stability in Tajikistan by
Afghanistan, Reuters reported. Nazarov again denied that
any fighters from the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
are based on Tajik territory. LF

During a national harvest festival in Shklou,
Mahileu Oblast, on 23 September, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said
Belarus has harvested enough food and forage grain this
year to manage without grain imports. "We do not ingratiate
ourselves with anybody, we do not speculate with our
national assets--our property. We do not bow to anyone,"
Belarusian Television quoted him as saying. This year's
crop of 4.9 million tons of grain was well below Soviet-era
results but was a significant improvement on last year's
3.6 million tons. Lukashenka canceled the 1999 national
harvest festival, which was also planned to take place in
Shklou, his hometown. JM

BELARUSIAN OPPOSITIONIST ACCUSES AUTHORITIES OF 'STATE
TERRORISM'

Social Democratic Party leader Mikalay
Statkevich on 22 September said the raid on his party's
headquarters the previous day was carried out by special
services (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 September 2000). "I'm
confident that this is an act of state terrorism connected
with the participation of the party's members in the
elections," Belarusian Television quoted Statkevich as
saying. Acting Interior Minister Mikhail Udovikau suggested
the following day that the party itself may have staged
attack on its headquarters in order to gain publicity. JM

UKRAINIAN SECURITY SERVICE CLAIMS TO HAVE FOILED STATE
COUP

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) on 22 September
announced that it has arrested a group of people who
prepared an armed coup d'etat, Interfax reported. According
to the SBU, the group--which included residents of
Chernihiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhya Oblasts--started setting
up military groups and gathering intelligence on the
location of military units and weapons deposits. The group
selected the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, the dam at the
Kyiv water reservoir, and gas pipelines as targets for
terrorist attacks. And it also wrote leaflets calling for
an armed revolt and for legislation to be passed by new
authorities. "The persons under investigation wanted to
destroy our system with violent methods," SBU chief Leonid
Derkach commented the following day but refused to give any
details. JM

UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT TO SELL COMPANIES' PROPERTY FOR DEBTS

Deputy Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov on 22 September said
that in order to repay foreign loans taken by companies
under state guaranties, the government intends to sell
those companies' property, Interfax reported. A government
directive issued last month obliged Ukrainian companies to
repay some $130 million in state-guaranteed foreign credits
by the end of 2000. Between 1 January 1992 and 1 October
1997, the government granted its guarantees to $2.456
billion worth of foreign credits to Ukrainian companies. JM

TALLINN CITY COALITION THREATENED BY SCANDAL

The fragile
ruling coalition in the Tallinn City Council is under
threat after Mayor Juri Mois called for the removal of two
city officials representing a small but important allied
party. Mois asked the board of Tallinn Heating to discuss
the removal of board chairman Elmar Sepp at its meeting,
and he also requested that the city's Environmental
Department dismiss Botanical Garden director Juri Ott. Sepp
and Ott, both of whom belong to the Coalition Party, have
been linked to an apartment privatization scandal that
broke when they were city elders. Mois, who cut short a
vacation to deal with the crisis, denied the ruling
coalition will collapse. Meanwhile, the law firm Glikman &
Glikman has concluded that deals cut by Sepp and Ott
violated the law. MH

LATVIAN PREMIER WARNS COALITION TO STAY IN LINE

Andris
Berzins warned his four-party coalition not to side with
the opposition in an upcoming vote of no confidence in
Economics Minister Aigars Kalvitis. Berzins said that
voting against the minister would constitute a violation of
the coalition agreement and play into the hands of those
who "want Latvia to fail," BNS reported. Andrejs
Pantelejevs, the chairman of Berzins's Latvia's Way, said
any coalition parties voting against Kalvitis would spell
the coalition's end, adding that For Fatherland and Freedom
is the "weak link" in the chain. For Fatherland and Freedom
has been involved in a public feud with Kalvitis's People's
Party over the past few weeks (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15
September 2000). MH

LATVIA WINS GYMNASTICS GOLD, BUT ROWER SENT HOME FOR
DOPING

Latvia won its first-ever gold medal on 24
September, when Igors Vihrovs won a surprising victory in
the gymnastics' floor competition over Russia's Aleksei
Nemov. Vihrovs was in 26th place in qualifying before the
finals. However, the same day rower Andris Reinholds was
sent home after a positive drug test. The eighth-place
finisher in the single sculls now faces a lifetime ban from
the event, BBC Online reported. MH

LITHUANIAN PREMIER SAYS CONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION WAS
'MISTAKE'

Speaking on 22 September, the eve of Holocaust
memorial day in Lithuania, Andrius Kubilius said the
controversial resolution on legalizing the independence
declaration of the 1941 interim government was a "mistake."
Kubilius called the adoption of the resolution, which
angered Jewish groups around the world, "an example of a
simplified point of view on a complicated period of
Lithuanian history." He added that "Lithuania must take
another look at its history without closing its eyes to
sore historical facts," BNS reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 22 September 2000). President Valdas Adamkus
took part in a commemoration on the same day at the former
Paneriai concentration camp, where more than 50,000 Jews
and other prisoners were killed during the Nazi occupation.
MH

POLISH PRESIDENTIAL AIDE RESIGNS OVER PAPAL PARODY VIDEO...

Marek Siwiec, chief of the presidential National Security
Office, tendered his resignation on 23 September after a
presidential election advertisement the previous day showed
him parodying Pope John Paul II. The advertisement, which
was designed by the election staff of Solidarity leader
Marian Krzaklewski, included video footage in which Siwiec
is seen getting out of a helicopter during a 1997
presidential trip to Kalisz, western Poland, and making the
sign of the cross. The video also features the voice of
amused President Aleksander Kwasniewski who asks: "Did the
minister kiss the Kalisz soil?" Siwiec then kneels to kiss
the ground, as the Pope used to do on his foreign trips.
"Does Aleksander Kwasniewski, a person who publicly offends
the Holy Father, deserve to represent our country?" the
advertisement asks. JM

...WHILE PRESIDENT ACCUSES SOLIDARITY RIVAL OF DIRTY
CAMPAIGNING

Kwasniewski commented the same day that the
video was a "desperate and dirty move." "It's not a
negative campaign. We are talking facts and facts alone,"
Krzaklewski's election staff head Wieslaw Walendziak
responded. According to last week's polls, Kwasniewski had
66 percent support, while Krzaklewski trailed in third
place with 7 percent backing. The first indication of the
damage inflicted on Kwasniewski by the papal parody video
appeared in mock elections in Nysa, southwestern Poland, on
23 September. Kwasniewski won with some 54 percent of the
vote, but Krzaklewski came second with 17.5 percent
support. "It is a breakthrough moment in this campaign.
There will be a second round, and Aleksander Kwasniewski
and Marian Krzaklewski will meet in it," Walendziak
commented. JM

IMF/WORLD BANK MEET GLOBALIZATION OPPONENTS IN PRAGUE...

Critics of the IMF and the World Bank met with heads of the
two institutions in Prague Castle on 23 September in a
"dialogue" initiated by President Vaclav Havel, CTK and
Reuters reported. That dialogue, however, yielded little
else other than agreement that discussions are a good idea
and must be pursued. World Bank head James Wolfensohn told
globalization opponents: "You should not regard us as a
black, evil, force.... Maybe we have done things wrong
but...our objectives are very similar to those of the
people in the streets." Walden Bello, who belongs to the
Focus on the Global Growth activists' group, said the World
Bank has supported dictators such as Chile's Augusto
Pinochet and Indonesia's Suharto, while other opponents
accused the two institutions of ruining the world
environment. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kavan said on Nova
television on 24 September that he agrees with some of the
criticism directed at the World Bank. MS

...AS GLOBALIZATION OPPONENTS LAUNCH 'COUNTER-SUMMIT'...

On3 day earlier, on 22 September, globalization opponents
launched the so-called "Prague counter-summit," which was
attended by various organizations. The counter-summit
participants accused multinational corporations of running
the world economy and manipulating the IMF and the World
Bank to support projects that increase their earnings and
destroy the environment, CTK reported. On 22 and 24
September, demonstrations staged by the Jubilee 2000
organization ended without violence. On 23 September,
anarchists demonstrated in downtown Prague but disbanded
when Communists joined them, saying the two groups have
nothing in common. Anarchists returning from that
demonstration clashed with several skinheads at the main
railway station. Czech Television said the anarchists
attacked the skinheads, who are also protesting the
IMF/World Bank summit. On 24 September, protesters carrying
white crosses staged a mock funeral in Prague to draw
attention to the children who are dying, they said, as a
result of IMF/World Bank policies. MS

...AND CZECH AUTHORITIES CONTINUE DENYING THEM ENTRY

A
train chartered in Italy and carrying activists against
globalization was kept waiting for 17 hours at the
Austrian-Czech border crossing of Horni Dvoriste on 24
September, CTK reported. The Czech authorities refused to
let in four Italian activists who had been involved in the
Seattle December demonstrations against the IMF, as well as
14 activists from other countries. The other passengers at
first refused to leave without them and started fires at
the railway stations, which were extinguished by firemen.
The authorities' action prompted demonstrations in Prague
by globalization opponents. The authorities also denied
entry to several foreigners arriving from Germany on 23 and
24 September. MS

CZECH FINANCE MINISTER ACCUSED OF PERJURY

Vladimir Mertlik
on 22 September denied that he had lied under oath during
investigations carried out by a special Chamber of
Deputies' commission. The commission had looked into the
government-initiated sale of the private Investnicny a
Postovni banka (IPB) to a Belgian conglomerate in June,
after the bank had been placed under "forced
administration." Commission chairman Miroslav Kalousek of
the Christian Democratic Party had filed a criminal
complaint against Mertlik on grounds that he was lying when
he denied having seen "official documents" and having
discussed in advance the action against the IPB. Mertlik
later said he had seen only "draft materials" that he did
not consider to be "official documents." He said the
accusations against him are "political" and that he might
sue Kalousek for libel. MS

SLOVAK CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS TO ELECT NEW LEADER

The
National Council of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH)
on 23 September nominated KDH Deputy Chairman Pavel
Hrusovsky and Jan Figel, state secretary at the Foreign
Ministry, as candidates to succeed Jan Carnogursky as party
chairman when the KDH National Conference takes place on 21
October, CTK reported. Carnogursky announced in June that
he will resign as party leader. Hrusovsky, who is a close
ally of Carnogursky, was endorsed by 62 council members,
while Figel, who is considered to belong to the KDH's
liberal wing, was backed by 27 members. The two pledged to
preserve the party's unity whatever the election's outcome.
Carnogursky also called on Slovaks not to take part in the
November referendum on early elections. MS

POPE RECEIVES HIGH-LEVEL HUNGARIAN DELEGATION

Hungarian
President Ferenc Madl and Prime Minister Viktor Orban had a
private audience with John Paul II in the Vatican on 22
September. They emphasized the link between the 1,000-years
of Christian Hungarian statehood and the 2000-year-old
Catholic Church. In other news, Balint Magyar, chairman of
the opposition Free Democrats, announced on 22 September
that he will quit his position at the party's fall
congress. Magyar proposed that Budapest Mayor Gabor Demszky
succeed him as party leader, Hungarian media reported. MSZ

KOSTUNICA CLAIMS VICTORY IN FIRST ROUND OF YUGOSLAV VOTE

Vojislav Kostunica, who is the opposition's joint candidate
for the Yugoslav presidency, said in Belgrade on 25
September that he won the election the previous day with
more than 50 percent of the vote. Unofficial vote tallies
confirmed Kostunica's statement, which, if borne out by the
final results, will render a second round on 8 October
unnecessary. Elsewhere in the Serbian capital, however,
Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic said that
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic won re-election. The
Federal Election Commission ended its preliminary counting
earlier than expected on 24 September and went home for the
night. British Balkan expert Tim Judah told the BBC that
this was a sign that the regime realizes it has lost the
election by a large margin. It is not clear when partial or
full official returns will be available. PM

EU WARNS MILOSEVIC NOT TO STEAL YUGOSLAV VOTE

The EU said
in a statement in Brussels on 25 September that Kostunica
appears to be the winner. It added that "it is clear that
any attempt by Milosevic to declare himself the victor
would be fraudulent," Reuters reported. In London, Foreign
Minister Robin Cook congratulated Kostunica and "the people
of Serbia," the BBC reported. Cook noted that Milosevic did
not carry even a single precinct in his native Pozarevac,
adding that the magnitude of Milosevic's defeat nationwide
is "too great for him to hide." The British minister
stressed that Milosevic should leave office peacefully. In
Vienna, OSCE Chairwoman and Austrian Foreign Minister
Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in a statement that "claims of
victory by pro-Milosevic forces are not credible. These
elections were far from democratic, but despite reports of
widespread fraud and intimidation, the will of the people
for change has been overwhelming," Reuters reported. PM

SERBIAN, YUGOSLAV VOTE MARRED BY IRREGULARITIES

International media reported on 25 September that it is
difficult to obtain a complete picture of the previous
day's election because the authorities limited the number
of election monitors and journalists admitted to Serbia to
observe the voting, especially outside Belgrade. Observers
agree that there was a large turnout. The two main problems
were a lack of privacy and a lack of supervision of the
voting and the tallying. In some state-owned enterprises,
workers marked and cast their votes under the eyes of their
bosses. At some polling places, voters handed their ballots
to election workers, who placed them in the ballot boxes
only later. Reports from Kosova suggested that many
precincts received ballots that were already marked or
voting lists containing names of fictitious or dead people.
Some precincts reported turnouts of nearly 100 percent.
Some reports from regions outside Belgrade suggested that
some individuals voted up to 10 times, VOA reported. PM

DID SERBIAN OPPOSITION PREVENT MASS VOTE-RIGGING IN KOSOVA?

Opposition spokesman Dragisa Djokovic told AP in Mitrovica
on 24 September that "the elections were not conducted in
an atmosphere of tolerance" or in keeping with standard
rules and procedures. He stressed, however, that opposition
monitors nonetheless "prevented" the massive vote fraud
that many opposition supporters had feared. He mentioned
specifically that monitors prevented the authorities from
entering thousands of votes for the regime in the name of
ethnic Albanians, who boycotted the poll. In Prishtina,
Bernard Kouchner, who heads the UN civilian administration
in the province, said that only 45,000 out of 100,000
Serbian potential voters cast their ballots. PM

LESS THAN 25 PERCENT TURNOUT IN MONTENEGRO

Only 24.44
percent of the registered voters cast their ballots in
Montenegro, where the reform-minded government had urged a
boycott of the elections, which it regards as "illegal and
unconstitutional," Montena-fax reported on 25 September.
The highest turnout was in Andrijevica, where just over 60
percent of those eligible cast their vote. Low figures came
from Cetinje (4.06 percent), Rozaje (5.23 percent), and
Ulcinj (6.70 percent). Podgorica's turnout came very close
to the national average, with 25.04 percent. In Berane,
where Milosevic recently made his first public appearance
in Montenegro since 1997, only 33.29 percent of the
registered voters cast a ballot. PM

MONTENEGRIN LEADER SAYS 'TENSIONS REDUCED'

Deputy Prime
Minister Dragisa Burzan said in Podgorica on 25 September
that the majority of the Montenegrin population heeded the
government's call for a boycott. He added that Kostunica
nonetheless won "an absolute victory" and that Milosevic
will be gone from power within a month, Reuters reported.
"What his reaction will be is [nonetheless] totally
unpredictable," Burzan added. But whatever Milosevic
decides to do, he will be too preoccupied with Serbia for
the immediate future "to undertake anything in Montenegro,"
the minister argued. PM

TRAVEL WARNINGS FOR YUGOSLAVIA

In a statement on 25
September, the Croatian Foreign Ministry advised its
nationals to avoid travel to Serbia and Montenegro "unless
absolutely necessary," AP reported. The statement added
that Yugoslav border police have recently informed persons
crossing the border not to stay for more than 24 hours. On
22 September, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry urged its
citizens not to travel to Yugoslavia: "We strongly advise
everyone who will be in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
during elections to avoid border areas and army facilities.
If travelling to Yugoslavia is not necessary, we advise
citizens to postpone it," Reuters reported. PM

POLITICAL PURGES IN THE SLOVENIAN MILITARY?

In recent
months, Defense Minister Janez Jansa has replaced some 200
officers, including three top-ranking generals, "Dnevnik"
reported on 25 September. Military spokesmen said that the
changes are routine. The Ljubljana daily suggests, however,
that Jansa is placing his own loyalists in important
positions in the armed forces. In the 1980s, the
controversial Jansa was the only leading Yugoslav dissident
to become actively involved in military and security
affairs. He subsequently played a major role in the
development of Slovenia's intelligence service and armed
forces. PM

CROATIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR HELP OVER MISSING SERBIAN
LEADER

Stipe Mesic said in Zagreb on 23 September that he
will seek unspecified "international assistance" to help
clarify the whereabouts of former Serbian leader Ivan
Stambolic, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 29 August 2000). Stambolic disappeared
in August while jogging near his Belgrade home. He is
widely believed to have been kidnapped by agents of the
regime. PM

BOTH SIDES CLAIM VICTORY IN MACEDONIAN RUNOFF VOTE

Officials from both the governing and opposition coalitions
claimed victory for their respective sides in the 24
September local runoff and repeat elections, AP and Reuters
reported from Skopje (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 September
2000). Runoffs took place in 54 districts, while voting
from the 10 September elections was repeated in 27
districts. At least 25 violent incidents took place in
various towns and villages, including a shootout between
government and opposition supporters in Strumica and
clashes between groups wielding baseball bats. Several
cases of voting irregularities were also reported from
various localities. At one polling place in Skopje, a man
stole the voting lists. In one other neighborhood in the
capital, local ethnic Albanians boycotted the vote to
protest violence. Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski said,
however, that "so far I have reports that mention only
minor incidents, which cannot be compared to what happened
in the first round." PM

ROMANIA CRITICIZES 'PRIMAKOV PLAN' FOR TRANSDNIESTER

The
Foreign Ministry on 22 September said the so-called
"Primakov Plan" for the settlement of the Transdniester
conflict violates "some basic principles of international
law." The ministry said the plan, which was drawn up by
former Russian Premier Yevgenii Primakov in his capacity as
head of the state commission for the settlement of the
Transdniester conflict, deprives Moldova "de jure" of
sovereignty over that region by recognizing the region as a
separate entity. It said the "self-determination principle"
as interpreted in the plan is not in line with the
"internationally recognized interpretation of that
principle" and paves the way for "secession." The ministry
said the conflict must be settled in line with the
"obligations assumed by the parties at the OSCE [December
1999] Istanbul summit." MS

MOLDOVAN COURT DECISION ON MEDIA THREATENS RELATIONS WITH
MOSCOW

President Petru Lucinschi on 22 September said the
parliament must amend a 20 September ruling by a Moldovan
court that the licenses of eight Russian-language radio and
television stations be withdrawn. The court accepted the
argument of a Moldovan organization called the Club of
Graduates of Romanian and West European Universities that
the stations violate a legal requirement to broadcast at
least 65 percent of all programming in the "state
language." The government said it is examining a draft law
to change that regulation. The court's ruling was also
criticized by the OSCE mission chief in Moldova, William
Hill, while Russian Media Minister Mikhail Lesin called on
Premier Mikhail Kasyanov to cancel a visit planned for this
week by Molodovan Prime Minister Dumitru Bragis or at least
raise the issue during that visit. MS

MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT PASSES LAW ON PRESIDENT'S ELECTION

By
a vote of 64 to 29, the parliament on 22 September approved
in its second and final reading the bill on the procedure
of the president's election by the legislature (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 22 September 2000). An amendment proposed by the
opposition Party of Democratic Forces to rule out
candidates who collaborated with the KGB was not accepted
by the house. MS

IMF OPPOSES BULGARIA PEGGING CURRENCY TO U.S. DOLLAR

Peter
Keller, assistant director of the IMF Baltic division, told
an RFE/RL corespondent in Prague on 22 September that the
fund will advise the Bulgarian government against switching
the lev peg from the German mark to the U.S. dollar. The
switch was earlier proposed by Professor Steven Hanke of
the Johns Hopkins University, who is an adviser to
President Petar Stoyanov. Hanke said the switch to the
dollar peg would protect the lev from the impact of the
depreciating euro currency. But Keller said that "a country
aspiring to EU membership will at one point have to peg to
the euro," adding that "to go from a euro peg to another
peg and then back again does not seem to be the straightest
way of proceeding." MS

Altaians like to call their mountainous republic a
second Switzerland. But in terms of untouched wilderness,
it clearly surpasses Swiss standards.

The Altai republic is one of the Russian Federation's
most unspoiled and beautiful environments--a haven for
lovers of nature and adventure. Ecologists and economists,
government ministers, and villagers all want to use the
natural environment to attract tourists and revive the
republic's stagnant economy. But at the same time, Altaians
want to preserve the area's natural beauty.

Vasilii Manyshev, head of the republic's ecology
committee, told RFE/RL that the republic is itself "a
commodity." "We don't have any other commodities, nothing
that can be competitive and keep up with demand," he
continued. "It's a commodity we need to use wisely. People
have understood that tourism is a business they can do and
have to do."

During Soviet times, the Altai mountains were a
popular tourist destination, with well-organized climbing
and horse-riding routes. But the USSR's collapse nine years
ago destroyed much of the tourist infrastructure. There are
now almost no decent hotels or campsites, while roads are
few and far between, and there is no fuel available for
helicopters.

Still, Altai remains popular with tourists from Russia
and the CIS, and there are even a few organized tours from
Western Europe. According to the republic's tourism
committee, some 80,000 people were registered as visitors
to the region last year. The real number was probably
closer to 400,000.

But the republic itself benefits little from these
visitors. All organized tourist groups pay for their trips
in their home country, and the profits rarely reach the
Altai people. Meanwhile, independent visitors often cause
environmental havoc by irresponsible behavior. Last New
Year's Eve, some 1,000 tourists ascended Altai's highest
mountain, Belukha, to greet the new millennium. The peak is
thought to be sacred by many Altaians and others. The
visitors left huge piles of rubbish that still have not
been cleaned up.

According to Aleksandr Chekonov, head of the
republic's tourism committee, such disrespect for nature is
anathema to the Altai national character. The Altaian
shamanist religion holds that every mountain and river has
its own spirit, which must be respected.

"The local mentality, the Altai population's, is a
caring attitude to nature," Chekonov told RFE/RL. "People
don't have to learn ecology, they are already mentally
geared up for it. There's a cult of worship at mountain
passes--you must have seen the ribbons tied there--or
springs' worship, you can't spit in the water there, it's
not [even] allowed to drive a knife in the ground, and so
on."

"Undoubtedly, a tourist invasion leads to conflict on
the spiritual level," he continued. "A tourist doesn't
understand local ways and doesn't take care of nature.
Local opinion of tourism isn't entirely positive, because
tourists have come, polluted the [river] bank, and left. So
we are suggesting this system of national parks, which will
represent the interests of [both]tourists and local
people."

Under that proposal, tourists will be allowed to stay
only in certain areas of designated national parks, which
will be provided with all necessary facilities, and will
have to follow marked routes with guides trained in eco-
tourism. Chekonov looks to national parks in the U.S. and
Africa as models.

But for the time being, neither the Russian nor the
Altaian government has the money to implement such plans.
The Altai budget received $1.2 million rubles (some
$43,000) last year from tourism, a pitiful sum from what
Chekonov calls the republic's most promising source of
income.

About 22 percent of the republic's territory is
already a UNESCO-recognized reserve, and some advocate
turning the entire republic into a nature reserve. Another
idea, floated at a 1998 inter-regional conference, is to
create an international reserve that would include parts of
China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Russia. That would help
control cross-border tourism: Altai staff at the Katun
reserve on the Kazakh border say tours from Kazakhstan have
trespassed on the reserve without paying fees or observing
the reserve's rules.

Until Altai tourism does take off, the inhabitants of
the republic's villages, where unemployment is as high as
70 percent, are using the environment in more harmful ways.
They make their living from a flourishing trade in rare
plants and animals.

Bear's gall bladders and maral deer horns go to China
and Korea for medicinal use. The musk deer is hunted for
its glands, which are used in perfumes. According to staff
at the Katun reserve, a rare breed of falcon can fetch up
to $50,000 in the United Arab Emirates, and the endangered
snow leopard's fur is in high demand.

One of the biggest problems faced by ecologists in the
Republic of Altai and in neighboring Kazakhstan is
protecting these rare species from commercial exploitation.
The fear is that uncontrolled commerce could wipe them out.
The author is an RFE/RL correspondent based in Kyiv.